


Pride and Pimpernel

by ardentaislinn



Category: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Secret Identity, Storms, Stranded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 12:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5929213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentaislinn/pseuds/ardentaislinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sudden storm strands Elizabeth and Darcy at a coaching inn where they meet a mysterious couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride and Pimpernel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lynndyre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynndyre/gifts).



The storm came upon them suddenly.

Elizabeth and her husband of less than a year had been travelling all day with the threat of violent weather looming in the heavy grey clouds, but it was still a surprise when the rain began bucketing down in great swathes of water. It rattled the carriage with its force, overwhelming the last of the heat remaining in the warmed bricks with its pervasive chill.

When the storm didn’t let up after a few minutes, Elizabeth watched as Darcy slid open the small door between them and the driver, wincing at the blast of cold air and spray of water.

“Let us find shelter at the next available place you see,” he told their driver. Elizabeth just heard the man yell something that sounded affirmative before it was snatched away by the wind and the rain. Darcy closed the hatch and settled back.

“Do you have any idea how far we’ve come? I am familiar with the roads, but it is difficult to judge how far it might be until we reach the next inn.”

He took her hand, curling his fingers around hers. “I don’t imagine it will be too far,” he told her, then lifted her hand to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

He was right. Within another half an hour they were stepping into a small, cozy inn. Though it wasn’t particularly grand, it was clean and well-kept, and Elizabeth found herself not feeling much out of place at all.

Darcy, on the other hand, had reverted to the stiff posture and silence that he often did when uncomfortable.

The innkeeper bustled over, and Elizabeth decided to take charge. “I’m sorry for the late notice, but do you have a room available?”

The innkeeper nodded. “Our last one, on account of the storm. It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll keep you dry, right enough.”

Elizabeth smiled gratefully, conscious of the man’s nervous looks in Darcy’s direction. They agreed to take the room, and the innkeeper and a young lad picked up their cases and began hauling them up a steep flight of stairs. Elizabeth followed willingly, Darcy less so.

“Do you have a private dining room?” Darcy asked the innkeep.

“We do, but it’s not so private at the moment, as there’s a couple dining in there already,” he huffed. “On account of the storm,” he continued with a nervous glance over his shoulder. “I can ask if they’d share. They’re fancy types, like yourselves.”

“Sounds delightful,” Elizabeth told him, before Darcy could reply.

The man and his boy plonked their cases down none too gently and left with promises to ask the couple to share their dining space.

As soon as the door was shut, Elizabeth began stripping out of her damp dress. “I’m afraid you are going to have to spend the evening being charming,” she told her husband, hanging her dress over the chair by the fire. She was grateful that the innkeeper must have had the forethought to warm the rooms when the storm hit in case of stranded travellers like themselves.

“Darcy?” she asked, turning around when he didn’t reply. She found his eyes riveted on her, and looked down to find her white shift had grown almost transparent with the damp. Her face heated slightly, not with embarrassment, but with pleasure.

“My love, I intend to eat a hearty meal first before I allow you to make good on whatever is in your thoughts right now,” she told him playfully, then set about redressing.

He eventually sighed and followed suit, grumbling good-naturedly at his lack of valet. The man had been sent ahead when they had thought their journey would only take a single day.

As they left the room, Elizabeth caught sight of the innkeeper at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled warmly at her, only fading slightly when his eyes shifted to Darcy behind her.

“I’ve got some good news for you both,” he told her. “The fancy couple in the private dining room were right pleased at the idea of having you join them. It’s over there to me right.”

Elizabeth thanked the man and led the way through the public room to the door on the far side. She opened it and peered in, catching sight of a handsome couple in their forties whispering over the table at each other. They were dressed in stylish, practical travelling clothes - up to date with the latest fashions, but comfortable for a journey and without any fripperies.

A blast of warmth from the fireplace in the room swamped her, dispelling the last of the chill from their journey. The couple turned, both smiling as they laid eyes on Elizabeth and Darcy. Hers was warm and welcoming. His, assessing, but no less friendly.

They both stood.

“Thank you for allowing us to join you,” Elizabeth said with a polite curtsy. The shift of air at her back told her Darcy had performed a perfunctory bow.

“It is our pleasure,” said the man, bowing in return.

“Do come in!” said the woman, waving them forward. They did so, shutting the door on the noisy room beyond, ensconcing them in peaceful quiet. Darcy exhaled, slightly, and Elizabeth turned to see him appear a little more relaxed.

“I do apologise for the intrusion,” Elizabeth began. “This is Mr. Darcy, my husband. And you may call me Elizabeth or Mrs. Darcy, as you prefer.”

“Delighted,” said the woman. “My husband, Sir Percy. You may call me Maguerite.”

Elizabeth immediately liked her open countenance and warmth.

They all settled around the table. It was only then that Elizabeth realised she had heard those names before.

“Goodness, you are not Sir Percy  _ Blakeney _ are you?”

A charming smile spread across his face. “Indeed I am.”

“I…” Elizabeth paused, not sure how to frame her next question, or even if she should. Her gaze flickered to Maguerite, who looked amused, then to her husband, who looked bewildered, and finally back to Sir Percy. His eyes sparkled as he watched her, clearly delighting in her confusion.

“You are not at all like I expected,” she finished eventually.

“No, I don’t suppose I would be,” he replied.

“My father used to read aloud to me from the papers when I was a girl. He enjoyed people’s foibles.”

“Ah, yes. I was quite a favourite of the gossip columns in my day.” He did not at all seem bitter about this fact. Rather, he seemed almost proud.

“Forgive me, but they painted a very different picture to how I see you now. Have you changed so much?”

“Not at all! I am much the same man as I ever was. But I no longer have a need to disguise that fact.”

“You are teasing me,” Elizabeth announced.

Maguerite leaned forward. She gave him a playfully warning look. “You are correct. He’s being deliberately obtuse.”

Elizabeth watched Sir Percy’s eyes warm as they landed on his wife. “She’s quite right,” he murmured, but made no effort to rectify that fact.

“Forgive my impertinence,” Elizabeth began after a moment. “Let us speak of less controversial matters. How has your journey been so far?”

The four talked of many things after that, not once touching again on the subject of Sir Percy’s curious past. She remembered both him and Marguerite well from the amusing tales her father would read about the goings on of London high society in the papers. Sir Percy was a favourite of his, as his foolishness caused him great amusement. Now, though, Elizabeth could not reconcile those tales with the man before her.

It wasn’t until the end of the meal, when they fire had begun to die down, and the low how of voices from outside the private room had largely ceased, that Elizabeth realised the time. She happened to mention it, and all four rose in surprise, professing they had a delightful evening. Marguerite hugged Elizabeth goodbye, and she and her husband sailed out of the room.

Elizabeth looked down at the table in front of her as she readied to leave. And exclamation of shock came forth from her lips. A single, solitary flower rested where her plate had been. It took her a moment to understand what she saw.

A Scarlet Pimpernel.


End file.
